How did we travel for 4 Days 3 Nights in Switzerland for just S$650 Per Person?
四天三夜瑞士自由行每人花了不到三千两百元人民币，我们是怎么办到的呢？
Things in Switzerland are expensive. The food, train rides, and accommodations are expensive. However, the Interlaken region is a place that I really wanted to visit. Therefore, I decided to plan a trip to Switzerland for my parents who are transiting into their retirement years and embarking on their lifelong dream of travelling around the World.
With the goal to stretch our dollars, I came up with an itinerary to bring us to the Interlaken region at a minimal cost.
I will be sharing with you 3 key tips on how you can visit the Interlaken region in Switzerland on a budget.
1. Buy the SBB Saver Day pass 60 days in advance
After reading many articles on getting around the Interlaken region, I concluded that the SBB Saver Day Pass is the cheapest travel pass for getting to and around the Interlaken region just for 2 days.
As there were several other travel passes that were available to choose from, I was initially very overwhelmed with information and undecided on what pass to choose.
| Jungfrau Travel Pass | Swiss Travel Pass | SBB Saver Day Pass | |
| 1 Day |
X |
X |
From CHF 52 |
| 2 Days |
X |
X |
From CHF 104 |
| 3 Days |
CHF 190 |
CHF 228 |
From CHF 156 |
| Pass Coverage | Covers only around the Jungfrau region | Covers most part of Switzerland, including the Jungfrau region. | Covers most part of Switzerland, including the Jungfrau region. |
*All prices listed above are for one adult, assuming one has no half-price discount card and is riding on the second-class train.
- You will need to know exactly the days that you will be using the SBB Saver Day Pass
- You should buy the ticket 60 days in advance to get the cheapest price.
The SBB Saver Day Pass is not often mentioned in most articles that I combed through when researching the Jungfrau region. It was through reading a Swiss travel blog, Novo-Monde, that I discovered about it.
This SBB Saver Day Pass turns out to be one of the cheapest ways I think I can get around in Switzerland from one city to another by the public transport network.
I had designed our itinerary to maximise the value of the pass and made some compromises on the duration that my family will be staying in the Interlaken region. Nevertheless, I felt that the duration was perfect in hindsight, especially for my parents who are now less agile and need more walking breaks during the trip. Therefore, hiking is definitely not something I will be doing in the future if I were to go on trips with my parents.
I think an elderly-friendly itinerary in the Interlaken region should definitely include any of the passes listed above so that you can enjoy all the bus, cruise, mountain train, and most cable car rides. As there are some areas in the mountain that have restricted car access, getting to the Interlaken region by public transport may be more ideal than driving if you do not want to fork out extra money to purchase the cable car tickets. Furthermore, you will also not face the issue of not finding a parking space during the peak season if you arrive later in the day.
I definitely recommend you to get the SBB Saver Day Pass, and spend 2 days and 1 night in the Interlaken region.
Regardless of which city you fly into Switzerland, you will need to travel for at least 1hr 15 mins by car or train to reach the Interlaken region as it is smacked right in the central region of Switzerland. The one-way train journey from the airport to the Interlaken region will easily cost you CHF 65 even if you book the ticket in advance. (Source: Omio)
Resources that I will recommend you to check out
1. https://triptins.com/schilthorn-switzerland/
2. https://www.novo-monde.com/en/backpacking-switzerland/
3. https://voicesoftravel.com/jungfrau-travel-pass-or-swiss-travel-pass/
4. https://www.sbb.ch/en/travelcards-and-tickets/tickets-for-switzerland/day-pass/saver-day-pass.html
5. https://www.myswissalps.com/saverdaypass/validity
6. https://www.jungfrau.ch/en-gb/jungfrau-travel-pass/
2. Cook most of your meals or eat at Migros Eatery
Cooking most of your meals will really save you a big buck in Switzerland.
However, there will still be days and meals that you inevitably have to eat out while taking longer haul journeys. On such days, you should check out Migros Eatery as I think you can get really good value hot food there. You can usually find it at the SBB train station in big cities like Bern and Basel.
Here are some food items from the Coop Minimart in Murren that I think are reasonably priced as compared to those in Singapore:
This is the cooking kit that we brought along which is very useful when there’s no kettle in the hotel.
Do note that most budget rooms in Switzerland do not provide a kettle and fridge in the room. Therefore, you are limited to food options such as instant noodles and eggs which do not require refrigeration.
You can also check out these YouTube videos for more advice on how to travel in Switzerland on a budget.
YouTube Videos Advice
1. 5 Money Saving Tips: Switzerland on a Travel Budget
2. SWITZERLAND ON A BUDGET | Top 5 Travel Tips to Enjoy Switzerland on ANY budget
3. Eat like the Swiss | Delicious and cheap food in Switzerland
The main message that I learned from the YouTube videos is that Switzerland, unlike France or Italy, is not a culinary heaven so it is not worthwhile to eat at a restaurant and pay a hefty price for just potatoes and bread.
While I had the single objective to save money during the trip, I did not want to miss out on trying the Swiss National-dish, the Cheese Fondue, as a number of YouTubers and friends recommended it.
We went to this restaurant in Geneve which allows the customers to share a pot of cheese fondue rather than charging the customers based on the headcount. I would say that it is definitely worth trying it if you are traveling to Switzerland from the far east.
3. Travel in Groups of 3
To my surprise, there were quite a number of accommodations that were catered to groups of 3 travellers.
For instance, the Ibis hotel chain specifically targets this segment of travellers. Their beds are designed to fit 3 people. While the room is a little small for 3 people, it is not a problem if it is just a place to shower and rest after a long day out.
Ibis Budget Geneve Airport (CHF 126 / S$ 182 for 3 Pax)
The price per pax we paid was cheaper than what one would pay for a bunk bed in a hostel in Geneva. Furthermore, when you stay in a hotel in the major cities in Switzerland like Geneva, you will receive a free public transportation card that even includes boat rides in the lake. With this perk, paying S$60 per person per night was a steal considering that each bus ride was around S$4 in 2022.
Even in the Swiss Alps, we were able to find an accommodation that was affordable. The only two qualms that I had with the accommodation were
1. The shared-bathroom was mouldy, and
2. There was no lift, therefore it is not aged-friendly.
Hotel Hornerpub in Lauterbrunnen, Jungfrau (CHF 110 / S$ 160 for 3 Pax)
The room would have been even more affordable if it was shared by 4 people. This room up in the mountain was even smaller than the hotel in Geneve. However, when we looked out of the window, we could see a view right out of a fairytale.
If I were to return to the Interlaken region, I will probably pick one of these 3 hotels in Murren just for the experience of staying in a more fancy place.
If there are 4 people travelling together, my first choice will definitely be Hotel Alpina which has the biggest room, private toilet, and the luxury of waking up to a mountain view at a cost of approximately S$110 per person.
All in all, as Switzerland is a really expensive country, you should not use it as a base for your Europe trip. You should consider flying into neighboring countries (e.g. Italy, France, Spain, Germany, or the UK) that are much cheaper and fly into Switzerland via a budget airline.
In the next article, I will be sharing the places that we visited in Switzerland on our S$650 budget. Hopefully, this will inspire you to start planning your trip to Switzerland too!
Total Expenditure for 4 Days 3 nights in Switzerland in 2022
| Expenditure Category | Per Person | % of Total Cost |
| Budget Airline Air Tickets (Flying into and out of Switzerland from the UK) | S$ 130 | 20% |
| Train and Bus Tickets | S$ 153 | 24% |
| Accommodations (for 3 Nights) | S$ 157 | 24% |
| Food | S$ 120 | 19% |
| Attractions Tickets (Birg Thrill Walk) | S$ 67 | 10% |
| Insurance (for 4 Days) | S$ 23 | 3% |
| Total | S$650 |
100% |
瑞士的生活消费高昂。食物、火车票和住宿等的价钱都相当昂贵。然而，瑞士的因特拉肯地区 (Interlaken Region) 是我梦寐以求想参观的景点之一。因此，我决定为即将退休的父母策划一趟瑞士之旅，已为他们环游世界的梦想迈进一步。
我以节省开支为目标，拟定了价钱最实惠的行程。以下，我将与您分享三大贴士，让您也能在预算内游览瑞士因特拉肯地区。
（一）提前六十天购买SBB Saver Day pass
在阅读了许多关于游览因特拉肯地区的旅游记和导览后，我得出的结论是，采用SBB Saver Day Pass 和把行程缩短到两天一夜能让我们以最实惠的价钱游览因特拉肯地区。
由于市面上还有其他几种旅行通行证可供选择，我最初感到不知所措，无法决定要选择哪种通行证。
| Jungfrau Travel Pass | Swiss Travel Pass | SBB Saver Day Pass | |
| 一天 | X | X | CHF 52 起 |
| 两天 | X | X | CHF 104 起 |
| 三天 | CHF 190 | CHF 228 | CHF 156 起 |
| 通行证覆盖区 | 仅覆盖少女峰地区周围（Jungfrau region） | 覆盖瑞士大部分地区，包括少女峰地区（Jungfrau region） | 覆盖瑞士大部分地区，包括少女峰地区（Jungfrau region） |
*以上所列价格均为一名成人，假设一名成人没有半价优惠卡且乘坐二等车厢。
最终，我发现 SBB Saver Day Pass 是个不常提到的优惠通行证而它却是最便宜的选择。关键就在于要提前60天购买SBB Saver Day pass。有如早起的鸟儿有虫吃，如果你能越早的拟定旅游行程，你就能享有最多优惠。
我认为因特拉肯地区适合老年人的行程绝对应该包括上面列出的任何通行证，这样您就可以免费乘搭所有的公共巴士、游轮、山地火车和大多数的缆车。由于山上的一些地区限制汽车通行，如果您不想花额外的钱购买缆车票，乘坐公共交通工具前往因特拉肯地区可能比开车更理想。此外，如果您在当天晚些时候到达，您也不会面临在旺季找不到停车位的问题。
我绝对推荐您购买 SBB Saver Day Pass，并在因特拉肯地区度过两天一夜。
（二）烹煮食物或在 Migros Eatery 用餐
在瑞士，如果您能烹煮大部分的餐点，您将能节省一大笔旅费。
但是，在赶搭长途火车的日子里，您仍然不可避免需要在外用餐。在这样的日子里，你可以考虑到 Migros Eatery 用餐，因为我认为你可以在那里买到物超所值的热食。您通常可以在伯尔尼 (Bern) 和巴塞尔 (Basel) 等大城市的 SBB 火车站找到它们。
以下是一些在 Murren COOP 便利店售卖的食品，我认为它们的价格跟新加坡的消费水平相比，算是合理。
这是我们携带的烹饪锅，当酒店没有热水壶时，能把它派上用场。
在我的经验里，瑞士的大多数经济型客房都不提供水壶和冰箱。因此，您只能选择烹煮不需要冷藏的方便面和鸡蛋等食物。
我也从许多 YouTube 视频中了解到瑞士不像法国或意大利，不是个美食天堂。因此，在瑞士，是不值得在餐厅用餐，因为尽管你付出高昂的价钱，你享用的食物是非常普通的像是简单的面包和土豆。
尽管如此，许多YouTube 用户和朋友都推荐要尝试瑞士国菜奶酪火锅，因此，我们也没有错过这个体验。
我们去了日内瓦(Geneva) 的这家餐厅(Cafe Du Soleil)。与大多数的餐馆相比，这家餐馆比较实惠因为它允许顾客分享一锅奶酪火锅，而不是根据人数向顾客收费。
（三） 三人行
在瑞士，有一点令我感到惊讶的是，有相当多的住宿是专门提供给三人行的旅客们。
例如，宜必思连锁酒店（Ibis Hotel Chain) 专门针对这部分旅客。他们的床设计为可容纳 三个人。虽然房间对于三个人来说有点狭窄，但如果它只是一个休息一两晚的地方，小小的空间并不是太大的问题。
Ibis Budget Geneve Airport (CHF 126 / S$ 182 for 3 Pax)
我们每人平均支付的价格比日内瓦青年旅馆的单人床位要便宜。此外，当您入住日内瓦等瑞士主要城市的酒店时，您将获得一张免费的公共交通卡，其中甚至包括在湖中乘船游览。有了这个优惠，大大的减轻了旅费开销。
即使在瑞士阿尔卑斯山，我们也能找到负担得起的住宿。我对住宿的唯一两个不满是：
1. 公用浴室的天花板滋生霉菌。
2. 住宿没有电梯，不适合乐龄人士入住。
Hotel Hornerpub in Lauterbrunnen, Jungfrau (CHF 110 / S$ 160 for 3 Pax)
如果是 4 人合住的话，房间会更实惠。这个山上的房间比日内瓦的旅馆还要小。然而，当我们向窗外望去时，我们可以看到有如童话般的景色！这番体验令人难忘。
由于瑞士是一个生活开销昂贵的国家，你不应该把它作为你欧洲之旅的基地。您应该考虑飞往开销较便宜的邻国（例如意大利、法国、西班牙、德国或英国)，并通过廉价航空公司飞往瑞士。
在下一篇文章中，我将分享我们以三千两百元人名币的预算在瑞士参观过的地方。希望这将激励您也开始计划您的瑞士之旅！
二零二二年瑞士四天三夜总消费
| 消费类别 | 每人消费 | 占总消费的百分比(%) |
| 廉价航空公司机票（从英国进出瑞士） | S$ 130 / RMB 630 | 20% |
| 火车票和巴士票 | S$ 153 / RMB 740 | 24% |
| 住宿（三晚） | S$ 157 / RMB 760 | 24% |
| 食物 | S$ 120 / RMB 580 | 19% |
| 景点门票（Birg） | S$ 67 / RMB 320 | 10% |
| 保险（四天） | S$ 23 / RMB 110 | 3% |
| Total | S$650 / RMB 3,140 | 100% |